Bloons Tower Defense Short Stories - Contact Harvest
by Furious Finch
Summary: I wonder how awkward it was for the first monkey general that gazed through his binoculars across the fields of bloons to find an identical general doing the same thing in his direction. Oh, points for the original title too.


"Caesar! Hurry up, we're gunna be late for dinner!"

Caesar, a little farm monkey boy, hurried after his simian siblings, smiling with childlike innocence as he vaulted himself over a large rock. The boy had been fancying trying out to become one of the Dart Thrower Militia members of his hometown, and figured he'd need to move quick and let no obstacle stop him if he was going to be accepted. Sure he got a few scrapes and sprains from time to time from his monkeying around, but he wouldn't let that stop him!

Bozo, his bigger, stronger and dumber brother, tapped his foot impatiently as he watched his rambunctious little brother tumble around after him. He didn't like to be late for things, and having to wait for Caesar made it difficult to keep on the clock. He was aspiring to travel to the big city and join the Monkey Military proper, defending all of monkeykind from the terrible bloon invaders he'd been told scary campfire and bedtime stories about.

The boys' littlest sister Coco hung from his shoulders, sucking on her big brother's old Super Monkey figurine that he'd grown out of playing with. She hadn't expressed a desire to become anything in her fresh life, but that was normal given she'd barely nailed down the concept of walking on her knuckles.

Caesar tripped and rolled to a stop at Bozo's feet, blinking confusedly and looking up at Bozo with a sheepish smile. Bozo tussled his brother's frizzy hair and helped him back up, leading him along back towards home for their supper. Caesar was quick to rush in front of his siblings, taking the lead eagerly. Bozo didn't mind. He kind of liked following anyway, and it was easier to keep an eye on Caesar now.

The sun was dropping down past the distant mountains by the time they could see the village walls. Though they couldn't hold a candle to the majestic fortress barricades of the city, they were still fairly impressive in their own right. Caesar laughed and made to sprint for home when Bozo's big hand gripped his shoulder, stopping him short. Caesar looked at his brother in confusion, and followed his stern and considerably frightened gaze.

Caesar couldn't believe what he saw.

A bloon. Big, yellow and imposing. He'd seen it before but thought it was just a banana bunch hanging from the wall. None of the monkeys in the village seemed to have spotted it, and it stopped rubbing along the wall when the boys stared at it. It floated towards them after a moment and Bozo picked his little brother up, stumbling backwards and putting both Caesar and his little sister behind himself, Caesar holding Coco close, not at all prepared for a real live bloon attack. He shouted for help as Bozo hefted a thick stick from the ground and held it like a baseball bat.

Some of the wall monkeys saw finally and hastily got out some darts, throwing them at the bloon to no avail. It had moved too far from the wall for their inexperienced throws to reach. Bozo whacked it as hard as he could when it got close, sending it drifting away, but it recovered easily and came at him again. He swung again, the stick exploding in half from the force and impact, but the bloon was resilient and didn't even pop from the splinters. Bozo threw himself over the others as it got near...

A faint whistle of something flying through the air was heard followed by an earthy thunk as a white clad Ninja Monkey put herself between the kids and the bloon. Her strange white eyes narrowed at the bloon and she flung a whizzing shuriken at it. The bloon was torn in half by the shuriken, leaving two more green bloons in its wake, but small sparkles shimmered around them and their movement was uncertain. They floated into each other uselessly and away from the children and their protector. Another two Ninja landed either side of her, clad in black with blue headbands, and flung shurikens at the two bloons, reducing them to a group of four blue bloons, much smaller than the initial yellow bloon. A fourth and final Ninja, clad in white with red gilding and a hood covering most of his face, seemed to just materalize before them all and waved his arms. Shurikens flew from his grip, hitting and magically dancing between the bloons as they were reduced to their final red forms and then shredded entirely. He caught the shurikens as they returned to him like boomerangs and hid them away.

The boys stood in awe, Coco clinging to Caesar tightly, not understanding anything that was going on but scared nonetheless. The two black Ninja stood at attention directed to their hooded leader, fists clenched to their sides, while the white Ninja licked the ground and sniffed the air, even feeling up the remains of the bloon hostiles with intent. The leader turned to the children as monkeys from the village descended the walls and opened the gates, rushing over in crowds.

"Are you alright, young ones? Were you harmed?" He spoke with a soft but deep voice, his tone friendly but concerned. Caesar almost immediately went on an excited rant about the awesome ninjas, shouting sound effects and trying to mimic their movements. Bozo hesitantly informed the Ninja that no, they hadn't been hurt by the bloon. His jaw nearly dropped when he saw a monkey in camo gear hefting a long rifle and wearing a thick helmet with green goggles attached to them approach. A Sniper Monkey. The stealthy soldier saluted the Ninja, who bowed in response. The soldier spoke quietly but gruffly and quickly.

"Found the bloon bastion. A fissure spitting them out in a cave down the river. Moderate concentration, mostly numbers based instead of strength. Highest class I could spot was zebra class. Nothing we can't handle."

"Many thanks. Make your way there; we will follow you to the site and meet with you for position orders." the Ninja responded, slightly more business with the soldier. The Sniper Monkey nodded and vanished back into the trees and foliage. With a nod from their leader, the three Ninja Monkeys gathered up and bowed to the villagers as they clamored around before dashing off after the Sniper. The leader ushered the children to two monkeys who seemed to be their worried parents before addressing the crowd.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemonkeys. There has indeed been a bloon incident just now, but rest easy. On my honor, and the honor of my students and our allies in the Monkey Military special forces, we will track their source and banish them from these lands before harm can be done to any of you. Please, go about your lives as normal. We have everything under control." The monkeyfolk seemed placated by his words of reassurance. He smiled and turned to leave, but stopped. "Oh yes. And for those wishing to learn the way of the Ninja under my or another sensei's leadership..." He glanced at Bozo and some of the other local children and teens knowingly. "... Or alternatively the discipline of the Monkey Military's ranks... I will have recruitment forces for both options here by lunchtime tomorrow. I promise. Enjoy your meals, everyone, and goodnight." And with that and a bow, he was gone.

Some of the older folk weren't even shocked; that kind of speed and stealth was par for the course with high level Ninja. But Caesar was enamored. He couldn't quit his grin for the rest of the night. The Dart Monkey Militia was small time, he decided. He wanted to be a Ninja Monkey now.

Epilogue.

The bloon bastion was destroyed. Bloon shreds layered the forest floor. Poisonous Bloontonium gas suffocated the plantlife and insects, rapidly turning the zone into a dead wasteland. The Sniper Monkeys and Ninja Monkeys surveyed the damage. The Platoon Captain muttered to the Ninja Master as their students and troopers paid their respects and moved onto the trail back home, tired and eager for rest after the battle.

"You think this was all there was?"

"I fear this was a narrowly avoided catastrophe with uncomfortable repercussions at best, Captain Tarkas." the Master replied grimly. Tarkas shifted on his booted feet, hand on the hilt of his combat dartbow.

"And at worst...?" he dared to ask. The Master answered after a moment, not wanting to speak of it.

"At worst? This was a scout force. Something much greater has its hungry eyes set on these lands. Something we cannot fight, if not for its strength than for its cunning."

"... A bloon hivemind, d'you think?"

"I hope so." the Master sighed, turning to join his students on the long trek home. "Because my other guess is a whole lot less pleasant. That something organized is sending these horrid entities here. Something that thinks like..."

Tarkas followed. "Like?"

"... That thinks like a monkey."


End file.
